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\f0\b\fs24 \cf2 Europe Heat Wave Sparks Health Warnings, as Temperatures Soar
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\cf2 Aug. 4, 2017 \'96 Parts of Europe are experiencing their most extreme heat in more than a decade, as temperatures hit 44\'b0C (111\'b0F).\
Several countries have issued health warnings, as this week's record-breaking weather conditions continue to affect swathes of the continent. Sweltering temperatures in Italy have sparked wildfires. Dozens of towns and cities are on the health ministry's maximum heat alert. The heat wave has left some regions facing the threat of severe drought.\
Health warnings are in place in the parts of Europe where temperatures have reached potentially dangerous levels.\'a0 Italy and the Balkans are the most severely affected, while areas as far north as southern Poland are also exposed to unusually high temperatures.\'a0\
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\i \cf2 43\'b0C in Rome\
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\i0 \cf2 At least 2 people have died - 1 in Romania and 1 in Poland, and dozens more have been taken to hospitals, suffering from conditions related to the extreme weather, Reuters news agency reports.\
Italy is currently experiencing temperatures 10\'b0C higher than the average for this time of year. People have been urged to follow advice from the authorities, stay indoors, and drink plenty of water.\
On Wednesday, the mercury rose to 44\'b0C in Sardinia.\'a0 On Thursday, temperatures hit 43\'b0C near Rome, while Sicily recorded 42\'b0C, as a blanket of hot air from Africa swept through the Mediterranean.\
In Albania, the country's armed forces joined 100s of firefighters on Friday, to battle dozens of forest fires, as temperatures reached 40\'b0C.\'a0 Albania has asked the European Union for emergency assistance, to help prevent the wildfires spreading near the capital, Tirana.\
Tourists and locals have been cooling off in cities across southern Europe, by dousing themselves in water from public fountains and walking the streets under the shade of parasols.\'a0\
High temperatures are expected to continue in parts of central Europe and the Balkans in the coming days, according to European weather service Meteoalarm. The heat wave is expected to last until at least Monday, with health warnings issued in several European cities.\
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\cf2 www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40825668#350509998-tw#1501881391410}